In its first acquisition, Seattle-based tech brokerage has acquired Walk Score, which rates the walkability of homes and neighborhoods, access to public transit, and bike friendliness.
In a blog post, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman said Walk Score “has become an online authority on neighborhoods, adding cycling and transit metrics to the mix, and delivering 20 million scores per day through 30,000 partner sites.” Not to mention that it has rentals.
“This is all stuff that Redfin needs on its own site,” Kelman said.
The deal will also give Walk Score access to real estate agents “and a way to convert some of its visitors into happy, paying customers,” he said.
Founded in 2007 by Matt Lerner, Jesse Kocher, Mike Mathieu and Josh Herst, Walk Score claims to offer the only app that makes it easy to find rentals by commute time.
In a press release, Redfin said Walk Score will continue “to function independently for the foreseeable future.”
Under a promotion starting today, websites and mobile apps will be able to request and display up to 5,000 Walk Score ratings each day for free. Websites or apps displaying more than 100 Walk Scores per day previously paid a fee.
Redfin said Walk Score CEO Josh Herst will serve as a strategic advisor throughout the integration. Walk Score Chief Technology Officer Matt Lerner will join Redfin as vice president of local engineering. All other current Walk Score employees will join the Redfin team at Redfin’s Seattle headquarters.
